Friday, August 31, 2012

The Book Lover's Wife

Edward cringed at the squeak of the opening cellar door and the accompanying dry rasping scratches of his wife's footsteps. Her soulweight, for it could be nothing else since she weighed so little, made the wooden makeshift stairs creak.

He set down his collector's edition of the Fellowship of the Ring and turned to catch her flouncing the last few steps toward him.

"Is my little dove hiding from me?" She reached out with a hand, blackened from the smudged newsprint. Other parts, especially the photo of him and her that had been run in the obituary molded just a little off center over her left breast, weren't as smudged.

He rubbed his forehead to keep the migraine away. Whether it was some allergy he'd developed to newsprint or just her fiery temper, he didn't know. But, it would be better not to answer her question. "Were you looking for me?"

She tiptoed to look over his shoulder. "Books. Should I be jealous?"

She didn't wait for an answer, but pulled him from the bench. Her newspaper dreadlocks brushed against him. He'd managed to capture her body so well, but it turned out hair was something that couldn't be rendered from the cut out stories of the serial killing. He missed the texture of her mid-shoulder blonde strands.

She raised an eyebrow and licked a lip in the way that he'd found so attractive when they had met on the blind date. But after marriage it had disappeared. Until he'd raised her. The newspaper had kindled a passion horny teenaged boys yearned for in their dreams. Unfortunately, dreams skimmed over inconvenient facts.

"I need a man to fill my bed." The dark empty pits of her eyes crinkled. "And other things."

He squirmed to escape her arms. Passion led to only one thing. Papercuts. "I can't."

"But, I need you."

He grabbed his copy of the Fellowship of the Rings and held it between them like a shield. The sacrifice had been difficult to contemplate before she'd descended the stairs, but her presence made the decision easy.

"The book is useless to me," she said.

"Not useless." He tried to stifle the jealousy from his voice but knew he'd failed. She'd never read the book, but had loved Viggo Mortensen on the silver screen. "I can make another one, like you." Aragorn had been his favorite character in the books, but he wouldn't think of the man the same after molding him into life.

21 comments:

  1. So he's a Papermancer? A Necrocopier?

    Cute idea. I think the way the narrators fantasy doesn't live up to reality writ large here touches something deeper.

    Enjoyed the papercut line too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A litero-peopler?

      I think you've touched on a little bit of theme. I suspect it runs across multiple of the flashes.

      Delete
  2. "Passion led to only one thing. Papercuts." That's a line I'll be chuckling over for a long time to come!

    Did he use a couple too many smut novels to bring her back or something? Somehow, I think he could find a way to work around that little problem. One that doesn't involve "making another one." :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gotta be careful with what books one uses. Yep, one has to question his willingness to try a second time when the first time didn't really succeed.

      Delete
  3. Intriguing idea. I laughed at the papercuts line as well. Nice job.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Necrocopier, now that's clever.

    Morbidly fascinating, even amusing, but ultimately rather chilling. I was going to ask how she was molded together -- papier mache? Damn it, I don't know how to spell that. Anyway. But then I decided I didn't want to know. How, exactly, he did it could only make it worse.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Papier-mâché (you had the spelling right... but not all the fancy chars).

      It's certainly chilling to me. I can understand why he wants to do this, but I don't think I could live with what he created.

      Delete
  5. Ah he uses words to create in a different way! I had visions of him being surrounded by paper people! I laughed out loud at this line "Passion led to only one thing. Papercuts. "I can't."

    Very imaginative writing Adian! ^__^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're making me think of those crazy-cat people who have like hundreds of cats in their houses. Except this is worse. What if he accidentally gets an orc instead of Aragorn.

      Delete
  6. Wonderful concept.

    I'm just cringing thinking of the interesting places that might end up being lacerated with those paper cuts though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one cringing over the paper-cut lacerations.

      Delete
  7. That was excellent! The paper cut line was both funny and cringe-worthy. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi there Aidan -- great idea, with plenty of 'legs' (in all senses). Paper cuts - ew! Great dry, raspy crinklyness. St.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Passion led to only one thing. Papercuts.

    Ha! This line made me grin.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Super creepy! This is going to end in a lot more than paper cuts.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wonderful story Aidan! It's very imaginitive, creepy and yet somehow sad. I really enjoyed it, and of course have to say the papercuts line is brilliant. That one will linger : )

    ReplyDelete
  13. Interesting idea, and you've really run with it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Brilliant idea.

    And even though it didn't work out for him, it looks like at least he's willing to make his paper wife's dreams come true.

    ReplyDelete